Soup stock pack production method and soup stock pack production apparatus

ABSTRACT

Manufacturers produce various soup stock packs, and try to meet preferences of users who are consumers. However, there is a problem in that users have no opportunity to more voluntarily get involved in making user&#39;s preferred soup stock packs.For solving the above problem, a soup stock pack production method including: a selection accepting step of accepting a selection of a predetermined number of foodstuffs from a plurality of foodstuffs each of which is a material of a soup stock; a composition ratio acquiring step of acquiring respective composition ratios of the selected foodstuffs; a grinding step of grinding the selected foodstuffs based on the acquired composition ratios; and a packaging step of making a soup stock pack by packaging the plurality of ground foodstuffs, and the like are provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a soup stock pack production method anda soup stock pack production apparatus for producing a soup stock packfrom a plurality of foodstuffs each of which is a material of a soupstock.

BACKGROUND ART

Formerly, for a soup stock that is the base of the taste of food, adried fish such as dried bonito or dried mackerel, kelp or the like wasdecocted. Now, soup stock granules, soup stock liquid and soup stockpacks are in widespread use, and the soup stock can be easily taken.

The soup stock pack is obtained by grinding or cutting a foodstuff suchas dried bonito or kelp, which is an element of the soup stock, andencapsulating the foodstuff in a water-permeable bag. The soup stockpack is put in water or hot water, and thereby the soup stock can betaken from the encapsulated foodstuff. The soup stock pack has anadvantage in that it is possible to appreciate the flavor of thefoodstuff (Patent Literature 1).

As the foodstuff that is the element of the soup stock, there arevarious foodstuffs including dried fishes such as dried bonito and driedmackerel, boiled-dried fishes, dried seaweeds, and dried mushrooms, andby selecting foodstuffs from them and adjusting the composition, it ispossible to exhibit various flavors. Users appropriately select and usea wide variety of soup stock packs depending on foods and preferences.For example, soup stock packs in which the chief material is driedbonito are used for soba soups and boiled greens, and soup stock packsin which the chief material is kelp are used for boiled foods and soupsin which fishes are used.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-018047

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Manufacturers produce various soup stock packs, and try to meetpreferences of users who are consumers. However, there is a problem inthat users have no opportunity to more voluntarily get involved inmaking user's preferred soup stock packs.

Solution to Problem

Hence, for solving the above problem, the present invention provides thefollowing soup stock pack production method and the like. That is, thepresent invention provides a soup stock pack production methodincluding: a selection accepting step of accepting a selection of apredetermined number of foodstuffs from a plurality of foodstuffs eachof which is a material of a soup stock; a composition ratio acquiringstep of acquiring respective composition ratios of the selectedfoodstuffs; a grinding step of grinding the selected foodstuffs based onthe acquired composition ratios; and a packaging step of making a soupstock pack by packaging the plurality of ground foodstuffs.

The present invention provides the soup stock pack production methodfurther including a presenting step of presenting the plurality offoodstuffs each of which is the material of the soup stock, on acounter, in addition to the above characteristic, in which the selectionof the predetermined number of foodstuffs from the plurality offoodstuffs presented on the counter is accepted in the selectionaccepting step.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction method, in which at least the grinding step and the packagingstep are performed in a booth including the counter, in addition to theabove characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction method, further including a material displaying step ofdisplaying the selected foodstuffs on a bag that contains one or moresoup stock packs packaged in the packaging step, in addition to theabove characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction method, further including: a selector identificationinformation acquiring step of acquiring selector identificationinformation that is information identifying a person having performedthe selection accepted in the selection accepting step; and a selectorname writing step of writing a name of a selector identified by theselector identification information related to the soup stock pack, on abag that contains one or more soup stock packs packaged in the packagingstep, in addition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction method, further including a selector soup stock packinformation storing step of associating and storing the selectoridentification information acquired in the selector identificationinformation acquiring step and information relevant to the soup stockpack related to the selection by the selector identified by the selectoridentification information, in addition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction method, further including: a two-dimensional code generatingstep of generating a two-dimensional code including information aboutthe selected foodstuffs and the acquired composition ratios; and atwo-dimensional code attaching step of attaching the two-dimensionalcode generated in the two-dimensional code generating step, to the bag,in addition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction method, in which a two-dimensional code including theinformation about the selected foodstuffs and the acquired compositionratios and information about a person having performed the selection isgenerated in the two-dimensional code generating step, in addition tothe above characteristic.

The present invention provides a soup stock pack production apparatusincluding: a selection accepting unit that accepts a selection of apredetermined number of foodstuffs from a plurality of foodstuffs eachof which is a material of a soup stock; a composition ratio acquiringunit that acquires respective composition ratios of the selectedfoodstuffs; a grinding unit that grinds the selected foodstuffs based onthe acquired composition ratios; and a packaging unit that makes a soupstock pack by packaging the plurality of ground foodstuffs.

The present invention provides the soup stock pack production apparatusfurther including a counter on which the plurality of foodstuffs each ofwhich is the material of the soup stock is presented, in addition to theabove characteristic, in which the selection accepting unit accepts theselection of the predetermined number of foodstuffs from the pluralityof foodstuffs presented on the counter.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, in which either or all of the grinding unit andthe packaging unit are disposed in a booth including the counter, inaddition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, further including a material displaying unit thatdisplays the selected foodstuffs on a bag that contains one or more soupstock packs packaged by the packaging unit, in addition to the abovecharacteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, further including: a selector identificationinformation acquiring unit that acquires selector identificationinformation that is information identifying a person having performedthe selection accepted by the selection accepting unit; and a selectorname writing unit that writes a name of a selector identified by theselector identification information related to the soup stock pack, on abag that contains one or more soup stock packs packaged by the packagingunit, in addition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, further including a selector soup stock packinformation storing unit that associates and stores the selectoridentification information acquired by the selector identificationinformation acquiring unit and selector soup stock pack information thatis information relevant to the soup stock pack related to the selectionby the selector identified by the selector identification information,in addition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, further including: a two-dimensional codegenerating unit that generates a two-dimensional code includinginformation about the selected foodstuffs and the acquired compositionratios; and a two-dimensional code attaching unit that attaches thetwo-dimensional code generated by the two-dimensional code generatingunit, to the bag, in addition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, in which the two-dimensional code generating unitgenerates a two-dimensional code including the information about theselected foodstuffs and the acquired composition ratios and informationabout a person having performed the selection, in addition to the abovecharacteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, in which the two-dimensional code generated by thetwo-dimensional code generating unit includes information for accessingthe stored selector soup stock pack information, in addition to theabove characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, in which the two-dimensional code generated by thetwo-dimensional code generating unit includes information for accessinga member registration page, in addition to the above characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, in which the two-dimensional code generated in thetwo-dimensional code generating step includes information for accessingthe stored selector soup stock pack information, in addition to theabove characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the soup stock packproduction apparatus, in which the two-dimensional code generated in thetwo-dimensional code generating step includes information for accessinga member registration page, in addition to the above characteristic.

Advantageous Effect of Invention

By the present invention, it is possible to provide a soup stock packproduction method and a soup stock pack production apparatus that makeit possible to produce a soup stock pack in which foodstuffs selected bya user are used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a booth forproducing a soup stock pack.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of a soup stock pack production apparatus in anembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example ofhardware that realizes the soup stock pack production apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of asoup stock pack production method in an embodiment 1.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example in which foodstuffs asmaterials of the soup stock and the name of a selector are written on abag that contains the soup stock pack.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example in which atwo-dimensional code is attached to the bag that contains the soup stockpack.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the screen displayof a purchase history of the soup stock pack.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with use ofthe accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to theembodiments at all, and can be carried out as various modes withoutdeparting from the spirit.

The mutual relation between the embodiments and the claims is shown asfollows. An embodiment 1 is mainly relevant to claims 1 to 3 and claims11 to 13, an embodiment 2 is mainly relevant to claims 4 to 6 and claims14 to 16, and an embodiment 3 is mainly relevant to claims 7 to 10 andclaims 17 to 20.

Embodiment 1 Overview

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a booth forproducing a soup stock pack. A booth 100 includes a counter 101 forpresenting a plurality of kinds of soup stock materials, a workbench102, a grinding machine 103 and a packaging machine 104, and the counter101 is provided with a plurality of containers 105 that contains thesoup stock materials.

For example, a user such as a purchaser or a consumer selects aplurality of preferred materials from dried bonito, kelp and others thatare the presented soup stock materials contained in the containers ofthe counter 101 respectively, and transmits the selected foodstuffs to amanufacturer in the booth orally or through a paper sheet, a tabletterminal or the like. The manufacturer having received thisappropriately blends the selected foodstuffs, grinds them with thegrinding machine 103, and further packages them with the packagingmachine 104 so as to divide them into small groups, so that soup stockpacks are obtained. By this configuration, the user can purchase thesoup stock pack of the foodstuffs selected by the user for oneself.

The function and the processing flow of the soup stock pack productionapparatus and the content of hardware will be described below.Functional blocks of the apparatus described below can be realized ascombinations of hardware and software. Specifically, in the case ofusing a computer, there are a hardware configuration unit such as acentral processing unit (CPU), a main memory, a bus, or a secondarystorage device (a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive and aflash memory, storage media such as a CD and a DVD, and a reading drivefor the media, and the like), an input device that is used forinformation input, a printing system, a display device or anotherexternal peripheral device, an interface for the external peripheraldevice, a communication interface, a driver program for controlling thehardware, another application program, a user interface application, andothers. By the arithmetic processing of the CPU in accordance with aprogram expanded on the main memory, data or the like input from theinput device, another interface or the like and held on the memory orhard disk is processed or stored, or a command for controlling the abovehardware or software is generated. Alternatively, the functional blocksof the apparatus may be realized by dedicated hardware.

Further, in this invention, a part of the configuration may be realizedby a server device that is connected through a network. Further, thisinvention can be realized not only as an apparatus but also as a method.Further, a part of this invention can be configured as software.Furthermore, a program that is used for causing a computer to executesuch software, and a recording medium in which the program is fixed arenaturally included in the technical scope of this invention (the sameapplies to the whole of the present specification).

Functional Configuration

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functionalconfiguration of the soup stock pack production apparatus in theembodiment. As shown in FIG. 2 , a soup stock pack production apparatus200 includes a selection accepting unit 201, a composition ratioacquiring unit 202, a grinding unit 203 and a packaging unit 204.

The selection accepting unit 201 has a function to accept a selection ofa predetermined number of foodstuffs from a plurality of foodstuffs eachof which is a material of a soup stock. As the material of the soupstock, materials that are foodstuffs and that are used as the materialof the soup stock can be used, and the kind is not particularly limited.For example, there are high-grade dried bonito, common dried bonito,dried frigate bonito, dried mackerel, dried tuna, dried decapterus,dried sardine, dried saury, dried salmon, dried round herring,top-quality dried bonito, high-grade dried frigate bonito, high-gradekamebushi, high-grade mackerel, naked dried frigate bonito, common driedbonito, common kamebushi, common dried tuna, boiled-dried bream,boiled-dried barracuda, boiled-dried round herring, boiled-driedpilchard, boiled-dried flying fish, boiled-dried lizardfish,boiled-dried anchovy, boiled-dried setouchi, boiled-dried horsemackerel, boiled-dried blue sprat, boiled-dried rockfish, baked flyingfish, naked decapterus, Hidaka kelp, Risiri kelp, giant kelp, Raus kelp,cat foot root kelp, long head kelp, giant kelp ear, Raus kelp ear,Risiri kelp ear, shiitake mushroom, damaged shiitake mushroom, shiitakemushroom axis, donko, kosin, dried cuttlefish, shelled shrimp, driedchicken, and the like. Furthermore, shellfishes such as scallops,boiled-dried asari clam and shijimi clam, and vegetables such as onion,garlic and carrot can be also used as the material of the soup stock.Many foodstuffs are used as the material of the soup stock, so that 20or more kinds can be exemplified. The counter shown in FIG. 1 includesthree containers each of which has 6 retaining rooms in one group, butby providing 8 retaining rooms in one group, it is possible to contain24 kinds of soup stock materials. Further, a counter having a largernumber of retaining rooms may be included.

There are various ways for the selection of foodstuffs that arematerials of the soup stock, and for example, in the embodiment, theuser can perform the selection while directly seeing the plurality offoodstuffs that are materials of the soup stock and that are presentedon the counter and smelling the aroma. There is a special effect bywhich the user can easily imagine a soup stock that the user wants tosavor, by seeing various materials of the soup stock up close. Theselection by the user may be accepted on the spot by a person whoprovides the soup stock, or may be accepted when the user fills in anorder form prepared on the counter or the like or inputs the selectionto a tablet. Further, the user may access a website operated by theperson who provides the soup stock pack, and may perform the selectionat the website.

Further, instead of actually seeing foodstuffs, the user may access anEC site operated by the person who provides the soup stock pack, and mayselect foodstuffs at the EC site. Alternatively, the user may select andorder foodstuffs by telephone, FAX, e-mail or the like, using an ordersheet or the like sent to the user. Further, for a user who has alreadypurchased the soup stock pack, the materials of the soup stock may beselected based on a purchase history, from a customer card that is givenat the time of the purchase and on which the ID (identificationinformation, which may be selector identification information describedlater) of the user, the name, the content of the purchased soup stockpack, and the like are written.

Further, the predetermined number of the foodstuffs that are selectedvaries depending on the way of the selection. For example, “five kinds”of foodstuffs may be selected by the user, or two kinds or three kindsof main foodstuffs may be selected by the user and other foodstuffs maybe additionally selected. Further, it is preferable to guide the userwho performs the selection about how to perform the selection. Forexample, by showing the flavor of a foodstuff that is a selection objectand showing a food matching a soup stock in which the foodstuff is used,the user is assisted in selecting the foodstuff that is suitable for thefood and that the user wants to use. Such a guidance may be performed tothe user by a staff or the like in the booth face-to-face, may bedisplayed on a terminal such as a tablet prepared on the counter, or maybe shown on a paper sheet.

The composition ratio acquiring unit 202 has a function to acquire therespective composition ratios of the selected foodstuffs. For example,in the case where “dried bonito”, “kelp”, “boiled-dried flying fish” and“shiitake mushroom axis” are selected as foodstuffs, the compositionratios of the respective foodstuffs are acquired. The acquisition of thecomposition ratio may be configured such that the weight of eachfoodstuff is acquired instead of merely acquiring the ratio. Thecomposition ratio may be acquired by the selection by the user, or maybe acquired by the selection by a person related to the production ofthe soup stock pack. Further, it is allowable to adopt a configurationin which a composition ratio corresponding to the selected foodstuff ispreviously prescribed and the composition ratio is automaticallyacquired based on the selection of the foodstuff. Further, it isallowable to adopt a configuration in which the quantity of the soupstock pack to be produced is acquired together with the compositionratio. For example, “300 grams” may be acquired as the quantity for theproduction, or “20 packs” or the like may be acquired in a unit of thenumber of packs.

The grinding unit 203 has a function to grind the selected foodstuffsbased on the acquired composition ratios. In the embodiment, thefunction is fulfilled by the grinding machine 103 that is provided inthe booth. Although the specification or the like of the grindingmachine is not limited, a grinding machine is preferable that can grindthe foodstuffs to about several millimeters to several hundreds ofmicrometers finally, for producing the soup stock pack. Further, for theuse in a limited space such as the booth, a grinding machine ispreferable that can perform cracking and grinding integrally. Further,many foodstuffs that are materials of the soup stock are high in fiber,and therefore it is preferable to use a cutter mill.

Further, from the standpoint of the homogenization of the completed soupstock pack after dividing into small groups and packaging as the soupstock pack, it is preferable to grind together the foodstuffs arrangedto the quantities in accordance with the acquired composition ratios.However, the respective selected foodstuffs may be ground, and then thefoodstuffs may be blended at the acquired composition ratios andthereafter may be packaged. In the case of performing the grindingearlier, it is preferable to homogenize the foodstuffs, for example, bystirring the foodstuffs, before the packaging for the soup stop pack.

The packaging unit 204 has a function to make a soup stock pack bypackaging the plurality of ground foodstuffs. It is preferable that theinterval from the grinding to the packaging be as short as possible.This is because the flavor can be degraded when the ground foodstuffsare exposed to air. It is preferable to provide the packaging unit inthe booth along with the grinding unit, because the process can beperformed while the interval from the grinding to the packaging isshort. Other than the case where the packaging is performed in thebooth, it is preferable to make the soup stick pack by performing thepackaging while the ground foodstuffs are not exposed to much air.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the function of the packaging unit204 is fulfilled by the packaging machine 104. Specifically, thefunction of the packaging unit 204 is fulfilled by a machine called apackaging machine or a filling machine. In the embodiment, a pluralityof soup stock packs divided into small groups, for example, 20 packs areproduced, and therefore, a filling machine is preferable that uses awater-permeable wrapping body allowing the soup stock to be easilyextracted, as exemplified by unwoven cloth, and that can seriallyperform the filling and sealing of a predetermined amount of foodstuffsfor the soup stock pack. The way of the packaging, which includesvarious ways such as three-side sealing, four-side sealing, tetrapackaging and pillow packaging, can be appropriately selected and used.

By providing the grinding machine and the packaging machine in the boothincluding the counter, the user can select foodstuffs for oneself fromthe foodstuffs presented on the counter, can be in a situation where thesoup stock pack in which the selected foodstuffs are used is produced,and can purchase the soup stock pack immediately after the production.Further, by making the booth suitable for the production of the soupstock pack, it is possible to easily perform the production and sale ofthe soup stock pack in a commercial facility or a sightseeing facility.

Hardware Configuration

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example ofhardware that realizes the soup stock pack apparatus. As shown in thefigure, a soup stock pack production apparatus 300 includes a CPU 301that performs various arithmetic processes, a RAM 302 that is a volatilerecording medium, a storage 303 that is a non-volatile storing mediumsuch as a flash memory and an HDD, a communication interface 304, and aninput-output interface 505, and is connected with devices such as adisplay and a touch panel, a grinding machine 306 and a packagingmachine 307, through the input-output interface 505. The RAM 302 readsprograms that perform various arithmetic processes, for causing the CPU301 to execute the programs, and provides a work area (working area) forthe programs. Further, a plurality of addresses is assigned to the RAM302, and the program to be executed by the CPU 301 specifies andaccesses the address, and thereby can mutually exchange data and performthe process (the same applies to the whole of the presentspecification).

The function of the selection accepting unit 201 of the soup stock packproduction apparatus 200 in FIG. 2 can be realized by the input-outputinterface 305 that is connected with the touch panel for accepting theselection by the user, the CPU 301 that accepts the user's selection offoodstuffs that are materials of soup stock by accepting the input andappropriately executing the program, and the RAM 302, and the acceptedselection of the foodstuffs can be stored in the storage 303. Further,the selection of the foodstuffs by the user can be accepted through thecommunication interface 304, from a user terminal connected by anetwork. Further, the function of the composition ratio acquiring unit202 can be configured such that the respective composition ratios of theselected foodstuffs are acquired from the touch panel or the likeconnected with the input-output interface 305, or are acquired from anexternal server, a database or the like in the exterior through thecommunication interface 304, or the composition ratios corresponding tothe selected foodstuffs are acquired when the RAM 302 reads the programheld in the storage 303 and the CPU 01 executes the program. Further,the function of the grinding unit 203 is realized by the grindingmachine 306 alone, or is realized by the grinding machine 306 togetherwith the CPU 301 and the RAM 302 through the input-output interface 305.Further, the function of the packaging unit 204 is realized by thepackaging machine 307 alone, or is realized by the packaging machine 307together with the CPU 301 and the RAM 302 through the input-outputinterface 305. A part or whole of the hardware configuration forrealizing the functions of the units may be a hardware configurationthat is included in an unillustrated server device connected through thenetwork. For example, the hardware configuration for realizing thefunctions of the selection accepting unit 201 and the composition ratioacquiring unit 202 may be a hardware configuration that is included inthe server device (the same applies to embodiments described below).

Processing Flow

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of asoup stock pack production method in the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the selection of a predetermined number of foodstuffs is accepted froma plurality of foodstuffs each of which is a material of the soup stock(selection accepting step: S401). Then, the respective compositionratios of the selected foodstuffs are acquired (composition ratioacquiring step: S402). Then, the selected foodstuffs are ground based onthe acquired composition ratios (grinding step: S403). Then, the soupstock pack is made by packaging the plurality of ground foodstuffs(packaging step: S404).

Further, in the case where the soup stock pack is produced in the boothincluding the above-described counter, a presenting step of presentingthe plurality of foodstuffs each of which is the material of the soupstock on the counter is included before the above selection acceptingstep S401, and the selection of the predetermined number of foodstuffsfrom the plurality of foodstuffs presented on the counter can beaccepted in the selection accepting step S401.

Effect

According to the embodiment, it is possible to provide a soup stock packproduction apparatus and a soup stock pack production method that makeit possible to produce a soup stock pack in which foodstuffs selected bya user are used.

Embodiment 2 Overview

The embodiment is based on the soup stock pack production apparatus andsoup stock pack production method in the embodiment 1, and relates to asoup stock pack production apparatus and a soup stock pack productionmethod for displaying the foodstuffs as materials and a person havingperformed the selection of the foodstuffs on the product.

Functional Configuration

The soup stock pack production apparatus in the embodiment furtherincludes a material displaying unit, a selector identificationinformation acquiring unit and a selector name writing unit, in additionto the constituents of the soup stock pack production apparatus in theembodiment 1. A selector soup stock pack information storing unit may befurther included.

The material displaying unit has a function to display the selectedfoodstuffs on a bag that contains one or more soup stock packs packagedby the packaging unit. In most cases, the soup stock pack packaged by awater-permeable wrapping body is further contained in a bag allowing atighter closing, from the standpoint of food safety and deteriorationprevention. The foodstuffs used in the soup stock pack contained in sucha bag are displayed. Even one or more soup stock packs contained in thebag is sometimes referred to as the soup stock pack (hereinafter, thesame applies to the present specification).

The selector identification information acquiring unit has a function toacquire selector identification information that is informationidentifying a person (selector) having performed the selection acceptedby the selection accepting unit. The selector identification informationmay be acquired, for example, when the selection of the foodstuffs thatare materials of the soup stock is accepted, or may be acquired inadvance. Further, it is allowable to adopt a configuration in whichattribute information about the selector identified by the selectoridentification information, as exemplified by name, sex, age, address,family makeup and occupation, is acquired in association with theselector identification information. Further, it is preferable to adopta configuration in which the acquired selector identificationinformation and the attribute information acquired in association withthe selector identification information are stored.

The selector name writing unit has a function to write the name of theselector identified by the selector identification information relatedto the soup stock pack, on the bag that contains the one or more soupstock packs packaged by the packaging unit. This bag is the same as thebag described for the material displaying unit, and it is also allowableto adopt a configuration in which the name of the selector is written onthe bag on which the foodstuffs as materials are displayed.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example in which thefoodstuffs as materials of the soup stock and the name of the selectorrelated to the soup stock pack are written on the above-described bag.As shown in FIG. 5 , a label 503 is pasted on a bag 502 that contains aplurality of soup stock packs 501. On the label 503, the name ◯◯◯ of theselector related to the soup stock pack is written in a manner of “◯◯◯FAMILY'S SOUP STOCK” 504.

Further, on this label 503, common dried bonito, high-grade driedbonito, dried frigate bonito, dried tuna, dried mackerel, drieddecapterus, dried sardine, dried saury, boiled-dried anchovy,boiled-dried round herring, boiled-dried flying fish, baked flying fish,boiled-dried horse mackerel, boiled-dried bream, boiled-driedlizardfish, boiled-dried barracuda, Hidaka kelp, Risiri kelp, giantkelp, Raus kelp, donko, kosin, scallop, and shelled shrimp are listed asfoodstuffs that can be selected as the material of the soup stock pack.Each display of the dried tuna 505, the dried saury 506, theboiled-dried horse mackerel 507, the giant kelp 508 and the scallop 509that are selected from them as the material of the soup stock pack issurrounded by ◯, and is displayed as the material of the soup stockpack.

Only the actually selected foodstuffs may be displayed, instead ofdisplaying all foodstuffs that can be selected as the material of thesoup stock pack as shown in FIG. 5 . However, it is preferable todisplay all foodstuffs, for enjoying imaging other combinations offoodstuffs.

Further, it is allowable to adopt a configuration in which the acquiredselector identification information and the information relevant to thesoup stock pack related to the selection by the selector identified bythe selector identification information are associated and stored(selector soup stock pack information storing unit). The informationrelevant to the soup stock pack is, for example, information includingthe selected foodstuffs, the composition ratios, the quantity of thesoup stock pack, the place and date when the selection is performed, andthe date when the soup stock pack is produced. The selectoridentification information can be stored in association with theattribute information about the selector as described above, andtherefore can be further stored in association with the informationrelevant to the soup stock pack together. Further, a production number510 associated with the selector identification information, theinformation relevant to the soup stock pack and the like can beattached. By attaching the contact address of the manufacturer or thelike together with the production number, the user can make an inquiryto the manufacturer or the like, and can perform the confirmation of thematerial, the order of the soup stock pack having the same composition,and the like, based on the production number.

Hardware Configuration

The soup stock pack production apparatus in the embodiment can berealized by the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 3 , similarly tothe embodiment 1. The functions of the material displaying unit and theselector name writing unit of the soup stock pack production apparatusin the embodiment can be realized mainly by the CPU 301 and RAM 302shown in FIG. 3 and a printer through the input-output interface 305.Further, the function of the selector identification informationacquiring unit in the embodiment can be realized mainly by the CPU 301and RAM 302 shown in FIG. 3 and an input device, such as a touch panel,through the input-output interface 305. Further, the function of theselector soup stock pack information storing unit in the embodiment canbe realized mainly by the CPU 301 and RAM 302 shown in FIG. 3 and thestorage 303 or a server device or database connected through thecommunication interface 304.

Processing Flow

The processing flow of the soup stock pack production method in theembodiment is basically the same as the processing flow of the soupstock pack production method in the embodiment 1. The soup stock packproduction method in the embodiment further includes a materialdisplaying step of displaying the selected foodstuffs on the bag thatcontains the one or more soup stock packs packaged in the packagingstep, a selector identification information acquiring step of acquiringthe selector identification information that is the informationidentifying the person having performed the selection accepted in theselection accepting step, and a selector name writing step of writingthe name of the selector identified by the selector identificationinformation related to the soup stock pack on the bag that contains theone or more soup stock packs packaged in the packaging step.

Effect

According to the embodiment, it is possible to produce the soup stockpack on which the foodstuffs selected as the material of the soup stockpack and the name of the person having performed the selection arewritten.

Embodiment 3 Overview

The embodiment is based on the soup stock pack production apparatus andsoup stock pack production method in the embodiment 1 or the embodiment2, and relates to a soup stock pack production apparatus and a soupstock pack production method characterized by converting informationabout the foodstuffs selected as the material of the soup stock pack,the composition ratios and the like into a two-dimensional code andattaching the two-dimensional code to the produced soup stock pack.

Functional Configuration

The soup stock pack production apparatus in the embodiment furtherincludes a two-dimensional code generating unit and a two-dimensionalcode attaching unit, in addition to the constituents of the soup stockpack production apparatus in the embodiment 1 or the embodiment 2.

The two-dimensional code generating unit has a function to generate atwo-dimensional code including information about the selected foodstuffsand the acquired composition ratios. By the function of the unit, theinformation including the selected foodstuffs and the acquiredcomposition ratios is converted into the two-dimensional code. It isallowable to adopt a configuration in which the generatedtwo-dimensional code is directly decoded by a smartphone or a tabletterminal and thereby the information about the selected foodstuffs andthe like is acquired, or to adopt a configuration in which a serverdevice or the like that holds the information about the selectedfoodstuffs and the like is accessed by reading the two-dimensional codeand the information is acquired or seen.

Further, it is allowable to adopt a configuration in which informationabout the quantity of the soup stock pack, the place and date when theselection is performed, the date when the soup stock pack is produced,and the like is included in the generated two-dimensional code.Furthermore, it is allowable to adopt a configuration in which theselector identification information identifying the person havingselected the foodstuffs or the selector identification informationassociated with the attribute information is included in thetwo-dimensional code. As the two-dimensional code, a matrix-type QR code(R), a stack-type PDF417 and the like can be used.

The two-dimensional code attaching unit has a function to attach thetwo-dimensional code generated by the two-dimensional code generatingunit, to the bag. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example inwhich the two-dimensional code is attached to the bag that contains thesoup stock pack. As shown in FIG. 6 , a label 603 is pasted on a bag 602that contains a soup stock bag 601. On the label 603, “ΔΔΔ FAMILY'S SOUPSTOCK” as the name of the person having selected the material of thesoup stock pack is written, and each of common dried bonito, dried tuna,boiled-dried lizardfish and Risiri kelp is surrounded by a circle 605,as the selected materials of the soup stock pack. Furthermore, atwo-dimensional code 606 is attached at a lower portion. Further, asshown in FIG. 5 , the production number is displayed together.

FIG. 6 shows the front side of the soup stock pack product, and thetwo-dimensional code is attached to the label pasted on the front side.However, the selector and the selected materials may be shown on thefront side, and the two-dimensional code may be separately attached onthe back side. For example, it is allowable to adopt a configuration inwhich a label on which the name and contact address of the manufactureror seller, the production number and the like are described is pasted onthe back side of the bag and the two-dimensional code is togetherattached to the label on the back side. Even when the user cannot readthe attached two-dimensional code, the user can contact the manufactureror the like based on the described contact address and can acquire theinformation relevant to the soup stock pack based on the productionnumber.

Further, the generated two-dimensional code may include information foraccessing the selector soup stock pack information stored in theselector soup stock pack information storing unit. For example, byreading the two-dimensional code, the user can access information suchas a purchase history of the soup stock pack whose materials have beenselected by the user.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the screen displayof the purchase history of the soup stock pack. The purchase history ofthe soup stock pack by the user is an accumulation of the selector soupstock pack information in which the selector is the user. As shown inFIG. 7 , on a display screen 701 accessed by the reading of thetwo-dimensional code, “◯◯◯” that is the name of the selector is shown(702), and the materials and quantity of a soup stock pack purchased onMay 15, 2021 are displayed (703). Further, as a purchase history beforethat, the materials and quantity of a soup stock pack purchased on Jan.22, 2021 are displayed. Further, together with each purchase history, abutton 704 for repurchasing the soup stock pack having the samematerials is displayed. By touching or clicking this button, thetransition to a screen for repurchase procedure is performed. Further, abutton 705 for newly purchasing the soup stock pack may be displayed.Further, the composition ratio and quantity of each of the materials ofthe soup stock pack may be displayed together.

The generated two-dimensional code may include information for accessinga member registration page. This member is a member of an EC site thatsells the soup stock pack in the present invention. By reading thetwo-dimensional code, the member registration page is displayed on asmartphone or the like of the user, and input items necessary for theregistration and the like are displayed. Necessary matters are input bythe user, and thereby the member registration of the user is performed.The completion of the member registration may be a condition foraccessing the purchase history of the soup stock pack. For example, whenthe two-dimensional code attached to the bag of the soup stock pack isread, the user is prompted to first perform the member registration, andthe transition to the display screen for the purchase history as shownin FIG. 7 is performed with the condition that the member registrationhas been performed.

Hardware Configuration

The soup stock pack production apparatus in the embodiment can berealized by the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 3 , similarly tothe embodiment 1 or the embodiment 2. The functions of thetwo-dimensional code generating unit and two-dimensional code attachingunit of the soup stock pack production apparatus in the embodiment canbe realized mainly by the CPU 301 and RAM 302 shown in FIG. 3 and aprinter through the input-output interface 305.

Processing Flow

The processing flow of the soup stock pack production method in theembodiment is basically the same as the processing flow of the soupstock pack production method in the embodiment 1 or the embodiment 2.The soup stock pack production method in the embodiment further includesa two-dimensional code generating step of generating the two-dimensionalcode including the information about the selected foodstuffs and theacquired composition ratios, and a two-dimensional code attaching stepof attaching the two-dimensional code generated in the two-dimensionalcode generating step, to the bag.

Effect

According to the embodiment, it is possible to produce the soup stockpack to which the two-dimensional code including the information aboutthe foodstuffs selected as the material of the soup stock pack and thelike is attached.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100: booth-   102: counter-   103, 306: grinding machine-   104, 307: packaging machine-   200: soup stock pack production apparatus-   201: selection accepting unit-   202: composition ratio acquiring unit-   203: grinding unit-   204: packaging unit-   300: soup stock pack production apparatus-   301: CPU-   302: RAM-   303: storage-   304: communication interface-   305: input-output interface

What is claimed is:
 1. A soup stock pack production method comprising: aselection accepting step of accepting a selection of a predeterminednumber of foodstuffs from a plurality of foodstuffs each of which is amaterial of a soup stock; a composition ratio acquiring step ofacquiring respective composition ratios of the selected foodstuffs; agrinding step of grinding the selected foodstuffs based on the acquiredcomposition ratios; a packaging step of making a soup stock pack bypackaging the plurality of ground foodstuffs; and a presenting step ofpresenting the plurality of foodstuffs each of which is the material ofthe soup stock, on a counter, wherein the selection of the predeterminednumber of foodstuffs from the plurality of foodstuffs presented on thecounter is accepted in the selection accepting step.
 2. The soup stockpack production method according to claim 1, wherein at least thegrinding step and the packaging step are performed in a booth includingthe counter.
 3. The soup stock pack production method according to claim1, further comprising a material displaying step of displaying theselected foodstuffs on a bag that contains one or more soup stock packspackaged in the packaging step.
 4. The soup stock pack production methodaccording to claim 3, further comprising: a selector identificationinformation acquiring step of acquiring selector identificationinformation that is information identifying a person having performedthe selection accepted in the selection accepting step; and a selectorname writing step of writing a name of a selector identified by theselector identification information related to the soup stock pack, on abag that contains one or more soup stock packs packaged in the packagingstep.
 5. The soup stock pack production method according to claim 4,further comprising a selector soup stock pack information storing stepof associating and storing the selector identification informationacquired in the selector identification information acquiring step andselector soup stock pack information that is information relevant to thesoup stock pack related to the selection by the selector identified bythe selector identification information.
 6. The soup stock packproduction method according to claim 5, further comprising: atwo-dimensional code generating step of generating a two-dimensionalcode including information about the selected foodstuffs and theacquired composition ratios; and a two-dimensional code attaching stepof attaching the two-dimensional code generated in the two-dimensionalcode generating step, to the bag.
 7. The soup stock pack productionmethod according to claim 6, wherein a two-dimensional code includingthe information about the selected foodstuffs and the acquiredcomposition ratios and information about a person having performed theselection is generated in the two-dimensional code generating step. 8.The soup stock pack production method according to claim 6, wherein thetwo-dimensional code generated in the two-dimensional code generatingstep includes information for accessing the stored selector soup stockpack information.
 9. The soup stock pack production method according toclaim 6, wherein the two-dimensional code generated in thetwo-dimensional code generating step includes information for accessinga member registration page.
 10. A soup stock pack production apparatuscomprising: a selection accepting unit that accepts a selection of apredetermined number of foodstuffs from a plurality of foodstuffs eachof which is a material of a soup stock; a composition ratio acquiringunit that acquires respective composition ratios of the selectedfoodstuffs; a grinding unit that grinds the selected foodstuffs based onthe acquired composition ratios; a packaging unit that makes a soupstock pack by packaging the plurality of ground foodstuffs; and acounter on which the plurality of foodstuffs each of which is thematerial of the soup stock is presented, wherein the selection acceptingunit accepts the selection of the predetermined number of foodstuffsfrom the plurality of foodstuffs presented on the counter.
 11. The soupstock pack production apparatus according to claim 10, wherein either orall of the grinding unit and the packaging unit are disposed in a boothincluding the counter.
 12. The soup stock pack production apparatusaccording to claim 10, further comprising a material displaying unitthat displays the selected foodstuffs on a bag that contains one or moresoup stock packs packaged by the packaging unit.
 13. The soup stock packproduction apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: aselector identification information acquiring unit that acquiresselector identification information that is information identifying aperson having performed the selection accepted by the selectionaccepting unit; and a selector name writing unit that writes a name of aselector identified by the selector identification information relatedto the soup stock pack, on a bag that contains one or more soup stockpacks packaged by the packaging unit.
 14. The soup stock pack productionapparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a selector soupstock pack information storing unit that associates and stores theselector identification information acquired by the selectoridentification information acquiring unit and selector soup stock packinformation that is information relevant to the soup stock pack relatedto the selection by the selector identified by the selectoridentification information.
 15. The soup stock pack production apparatusaccording to claim 14, further comprising: a two-dimensional codegenerating unit that generates a two-dimensional code includinginformation about the selected foodstuffs and the acquired compositionratios; and a two-dimensional code attaching unit that attaches thetwo-dimensional code generated by the two-dimensional code generatingunit, to the bag.
 16. The soup stock pack production apparatus accordingto claim 15, wherein the two-dimensional code generating unit generatesa two-dimensional code including the information about the selectedfoodstuffs and the acquired composition ratios and information about aperson having performed the selection.
 17. The soup stock packproduction apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the two-dimensionalcode generated by the two-dimensional code generating unit includesinformation for accessing the stored selector soup stock packinformation.
 18. The soup stock pack production apparatus according toclaim 15, wherein the two-dimensional code generated by thetwo-dimensional code generating unit includes information for accessinga member registration page.